Obligatory Christmas Story
by Soggy Phoenix
Summary: Beast Wars In which the Dinobot, being the typical Scrooge, is visited by three ghosts past, present, and future.


**Obligatory Christmas Story**

**In which the Dinobot, being the typical Scrooge, is visited by three ghosts; past, present, and future. **

**A/N: Placed in Beast Wars because they at least had contact with humans previously, and their ancestors most likely passed down the tradition. Yes, the G1 Autobots passed the tradition down. It's peace on earth; how can anyone not?**

Dinobot was always one to complain when something didn't fit into his Predaconian processor; Christmas, a holiday comparable to the Pit, was one of those things. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why the others were so excited about this squishy holiday.

Silverbolt delicately hung the colored metal, optics beaming with happiness. "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow," he sang softly as he worked, obviously enjoying the task set to him. Dinobot snorted, merely staring at the golden bauble in his claws irritably.

"Come on, Chopper face; get into the holiday spirit," Rattrap cried from his perch atop a console, decorating the highest point of the tree he could. Beside him, Rhinox reached up to the same place, optics radiating amusement; _he_ didn't have to stand on anything.

"It is a foolish endeavor, and will only serve to get us attacked by Megatron; we must attack first!" Dinobot snarled, throwing the bauble to the ground in frustration. "By the Pit, you Maximals are more incompetent than my Predaconian brethren, and that is a feat to accomplish!" he stood, panting slightly, before a weary group of Maximals.

"This human holiday supports peace on earth," Optimus Primal said quietly, stepping out from behind the tree, felled by Cheetor. "Whether you appreciate it or not, Dinobot, we stand for peace. How could you, wearing our insignia, actually disregard such a concept and slander it with a proposal for attack?"

"Because Megatron will not be sitting in his chair decorating trees like you all do," the surly saurian answered peevishly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "It is the nature of Cybertronians and humans to want war; do you dare deny the proven ideal with your usual drivel?" he could feel at least three pairs of optics on him and rounded on Silverbolt, who was nearest, snarling.

"If you're not going to help, and just stand there and snarl at those who actually care about peace, then I don't see why you should stay," Rattrap said angrily, glaring down at Dinobot. "You might as well go get fragged, cause we surely don't care!"

Optimus turned tired optics up to the scout and down to the warrior, sighing at their rivalry rearing its ugly head again. "Dinobot, maybe you should get some recharge, think about what you're suggesting more clearly," he suggested, stepping out of the way. Dinobot merely snorted, making sure he crushed the golden ornament under his foot before moving on.

"What a slag-spouting saurian," he heard Rattrap spit out as he left, and the ex-Predacon merely snarled.

As one human had said, "Bah humbug."

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Dinobot curled tighter into himself, wondering when it had gotten cold. As a hand gripped him, he suddenly shot up and transformed, driving the assailant into the wall, bringing his blade to their throat.

"Wow, you're fast," the assailant commented brightly, letting his hood fall. "I'm Bluestreak, and I like your sword, and your armor, and your-"

"Why are you here?!" Dinobot demanded, pushing his blade in further, cutting off any more non-sensical drivel. The poor mech in front of him shrank back, somehow looking like Silverbolt whenever someone yelled at him.

"I'm sorry, but they wanted me to tell you something, though I kinda forget what, but I know it was important, and gee, I really like that sword, but do you think you could stop trying to kill me? I would really appreciate it, as I would be able to think more clearly when I wasn't about to be killed and all," Bluestreak blurted, optics fixed on the sword. Dinobot sighed, releasing him, and the mech grinned. Dinobot saw his insignia and jumped, surprised.

"You are an... Autobot," he said, disturbed, and Bluestreak laughed warmly.

"Yes, that's right, and you've been a bad mech this year," he said, sitting on Dinobot's recharge berth. "Now, as for what I was trying to say before you shoved your sword against my neck, not that I was really scared, seeing as how I'm deactivated anyway, but in any case, you're going to be visited by three ghosts, each standing for the past, present, and future, respectively."

"Why should I care?" Dinobot snarled, crossing his arms over his chest again. "I do not need such a visit. They can all go to the pit, and do so happily."

Bluestreak looked downcast and shrugged, brightening a little. "Well, they are coming, so you can't really do anything, can you? Well, I have to go, they're getting mad at me for staying so long..."

"So am I," muttered the irritated Dinobot, watching with no little relief as the talkative Autobot disappeared, slumping down to recharge once again. He had no real reason to worry about visits, he told himself as his optics offlined.

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"Wake up, Dinobot, the ghost of Christmas Past is among you" a rude voice cut into his recharge, and the peeved saurian onlined his optics; his jaw hit the floor as he looked at the form of the famed leader of the Decepticons, looking decidedly unhappy.

"Why are you supporting such a baseless holiday?" the ex-Predacon asked, standing up in a gesture of respect, something he was sure that the leader always appreciated.

"This is the only way they will allow me into the Matrix, so that my spark may be reincarnated," the famed general answered shortly, gesturing commandingly. "Come, we must away to the past, so you can see why the Maximal scum values the Christmas tradition so highly."

Dinobot shrugged, following the ghost with several inhibitions; he was wary of anything the leader had to say, as he had learned not to trust anything his fellow antagonists had to say. They soon appeared in the Ark, and Dinobot looked around with awed optics, pausing on the famed Autobot medic and possibly the greatest being in Cybertron's history; Optimus Prime himself.

"So, Ratchet, how goes the celebration?" the leader asked in his usual deep rumble, curiously charged with a sluggish slowness and amusement. The medic looked up from his high-grade energon, staring groggily at the leader.

"Oh, same as any other party; Sideswipe and Sunstreaker slagged themselves, Primus knows where Jazz and Prowl are, Red shorted himself on trying to figure out if his present was a bomb, and Carly chased Spike around with Springer's sword," a sleepy smile came over the medic, and Dinobot, who, if he was in that position, would have terminated at least one of the guilty parties, was suddenly surprised as the medic murmured, "so it's been the best slaggin' day of the orn, Optimus."

"Indeed," the general agreed, reclining with his CMO. "They do know how to celebrate peace, these humans, don't they?"

"So much better than we do; I envy them that much, Prime, if I envy them nothing else."

Megatron placed his hand on Dinobot's shoulder, bringing him back to his quarters on the Axalon. "As you can see, soldier, there is a method to madness, and there always will be."

"It still does not make sense, though; we are warriors, and the humans fought in so many more wars than we did," Dinobot protested, and Megatron sighed.

"That may be, but is it really for you to question why it is followed; or is it your place to realize that the idea may not be such a bad one after all?"

With that, Dinobot was returned to recharge, and Megatron was gone.

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Soon after, the ex-Predacon was awoken again, and the under-energized saurian glared into the optics of an overly cheerful Autobot that his processor barely registered as Jazz.

"Well, cat, I'm the ghost of Christmas present, and I'm here to show you the basis of the holiday during the here and now, because I'm the contemporary one," the late third-in-command said cheerfully, striking a bit of a pose.

"Spare me your mindless drivel and just get on with it; it's not like I have a choice," groaning, Dinobot stood regardless, and was led into the control room by the saboteur.

"Man, boss-monkey, why do we have to put up with that Pred anyway? All he does is contradict everything we're trying to teach him," Rattrap whined, placing another piece of the golden bauble together.

"He may learn something, sooner or later," Optimus said wearily, arranging the last of the ornaments. "Besides, all sparks can be swayed, and thusly all should be given a second chance. You know that more than anyone, Rattrap; it was on this holiday that Rhinox found you in some gutter."

"Yea, well," Rattrap snarled, his anger fizzing out in the face of logic and stuffy speeches. "This is supposed to be a happy holiday, which supports the only thing that humans can agree on, and we're here arguing with a close-sparked Pred!"

"Give him time, Rattrap; I suspect that when we return to Cybertron, he will have seen the light; I have the utmost confidence in him," Rhinox spoke suddenly, and Silverbolt nodded from beside him.

"I quite agree, Rhinox; there is no reason to doubt such a noble, yet deluded spark! He will come to our cause yet, so never fear Rattrap!"

"'Bolt, man, you really need to stop reading those human fantasy novels," Rattrap sniggered, and the whole room soon burst into laughter. Dinobot could only shake his head, stunned by the lack of resentment to his earlier disposition, and Jazz hummed a tune, moving back and forth a little.

"Have you seen enough?" he asked gently, looking to Dinobot; the saurian nodded, deep in thought, and the Autobot grinned, touching his arm and returning him to recharge.

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There was no sound this time, just an absence of heat and good feelings, and Dinobot looked up to see a completely covered Transformer with a scythe, pointing ominously into a portal. Tentatively, uncertain if he really wanted to see what he could discern as the future, Dinobot walked through, stopping short as he saw Cybertron.

Or what was left of it, anyway, as his old comrades flew or crawled about it, wreaking havoc on the streets, destroying countless eons of art and building, down to the last molecule. Cruel laughter filled the air, and Dinobot attempted to shoot down a particularly enthusiastic Predacon who was demolishing priceless art; the beams, however, passed right through him, and the ex-Predacon fell to his knees. The figure knelt beside him, and spoke with the voice of a thousand dying mechs, grating on Dinobot's audios, and the stunned mech had to force himself to listen.

"This is because you were sullen, and deactivated in your sleep, missing a crucial chance to save your fellow troops. Without you, they were all deactivated and the Predacon council demolished with the very power that sought to protect it. In the end, you failed to deactivate Megatron, and the rest of the Predacons, because your beliefs coincided with theirs. Peace and togetherness is why the Autobots always prevail, and the Decepticons always lose. You cannot advocate for death and separation and still be on a team that supports ideals opposite to yours. You either conform or you leave. In your case, you die. The choice is yours, Dinobot," the cloaked figure said, showing him a Cybertron where everything was organic, and all were living in peace. "You could have this, or you could have what you just saw..."

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Everyone looked up, startled, as Dinobot came back into the command center, fully armed.

"Did what I say not get through to you?" Optimus asked, impatiently taking the gun Dinobot repeatedly pushed at him.

"Oh, it did, and the Predacons are going to attack us," he answered simply, the base rocking as his prediction came true. He smiled, a rare and almost unseen thing, and raised his sword into the air.

"For peace, comrades... A world that we all strive to see."


End file.
